Luke pulled off his sweat-soaked shirt and set it in the coat closet in the back corner of the office. He didn’t want to set it in his bag until after it had dried but didn’t want it sitting out either.
He heard the doorknob twist behind him. “Just tell me how much of a salary increase you want to make you happy, and it will be done,” he said as he turned. But instead of Cali, Evelyn stood in front of him.
“I’ve always wondered how great it would be to cross over that six-figure hump.” Evelyn crossed to set a black bag on his desk.
Luke took a calming breath and set the towel down. Evelyn, as always, looked damn sexy. Her discount suit hugged her ass in just the right way, and the jacket, which actually seemed to match her pants today, wasn’t enough to hide the way her blouse stretched over her generous breasts.
He was starting to think this whole working out thing wasn’t a good distraction when it came to Evelyn. But he wasn’t sure there was anything at this point that would get his mind off her and her body. Especially now that he knew what it looked like. Felt like.
“I have a feeling that if you weren’t working for the FBI, you could be making as much as you wanted to.” Luke knew she used to be in the military with Jace, and although he’d chosen to go the private sector path, Evelyn had stuck with the government. Luke was sure someone with her skills would have done very well for herself, taking jobs on a freelance basis.
“I guess I’m still holding out for a sugar daddy.” She winked.
He had a feeling she tried to keep her eyes firmly planted on his face, but he noticed as they trailed down over his still overheated chest and stomach. Suddenly all those hours in the gym were completely worth it. She tried to stay cool and collected, pretending that last night never happened, but he could tell he’d gotten under her skin.
If only he’d gotten inside her the way he’d wanted to.
“So what’s the plan to set up for today?” he asked, giving her a reprieve. As much as he’d like to continue what they’d stopped the night before right now on his desk, he knew that now wasn’t the time for that.
“I thought a bit about how things are going to go down today. I think that Brian is still on damage control after Ken tried to kill Lori. He wouldn’t come into your domain like this if he was going to give up any sensitive information. Your main goal for today is to get him to agree to do something outside the office with you.”
He raised a brow. “Like go out for coffee? I don’t think that’s in the cards.”
“Whatever bored billionaires do to bond. Play golf or drink Scotch. I don’t know. Go swimming in pools of money?”
“That sounds unsanitary.”
“Probably fun though.”
He cracked a smile. “So what happens when I go swimming in piles of money with Longineu?”
“You talk. You talk your ass off. Talk about your family. Talk about your women. Talk about your secrets. You do that, he’ll talk too. Human psychology.”
“He’s not the kind of guy I want knowing my secrets.”
“Then tell him the ones he already knows. Talk about Rourke. What you two fell out over.”
Luke clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes. “What the fuck do you know about that?”
Any joking expression fled. “It was in your file,” she said quietly.
“And you’ve known this entire time?” Shit. He’d known she’d done her research but didn’t think she’d go that deep.
“It was a long time ago. But secrets like that will make Brian think he can trust you.”
“It wasn’t that long ago for Rourke.” Considering the last time he’d seen his brother was after Rourke tossed him through a window in anger, it felt as though it was all too recent.
Evelyn shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. Wining and dining rich people is your specialty. You know what you’re doing. Just make him like you. Hopefully he’ll spill. You already have a big chunk of money with the Thirteen Stars, so it shouldn’t take much to get him saying things we’ll make him regret later.”
“And you’ll be listening to every word?”
She nodded. “Give me your phone.”
He crossed to behind his desk and pulled it off the charger. As soon as she had it in her hands, she pulled off the back and started to install something on the inside of the battery compartment.
Luke bent closer to get a better look and Evelyn went still. “Do you mind?”
“Well, it’s my phone you’re messing with. That’s kind of important.”
“Can you at least put on a shirt while you’re invading my personal space?”